American pancakes

Ingredients

• 250g/9oz plain flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 3 tbsp sugar

• 250ml/9fl oz milk

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 50g/2oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for cooking

For the maple butter syrup

• 80ml/3fl oz maple syrup

• 25g/1oz unsalted butter

Preparation method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a bowl.

2. Mix the milk, eggs and the melted butter in a large jug, then add the flour mixture and mix quickly to make a batter - don't worry about any lumps.

3. Heat a cast iron frying pan or flat-surfaced griddle until medium-hot, grease lightly with the extra butter and pour in the batter in batches to make rounds 8-10cm/3-4in in diameter.

4. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles form on top of the pancakes and the underside is golden, then flip each one over and cook for one minute.

5. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batches.

6. Heat the maple syrup and butter together in a small pan or in the microwave.

7. Stack the pancakes on warmed plates and pour over the buttery syrup.

8. To make cottage cheese pancakes, make the batter as above then stir in eight tablespoons of cottage cheese and cook as above. Serve with fresh berries, cherry or blackcurrant jam and crème fraîche, sour cream or thick yoghurt.